Explore the Great Cities of Central Europe
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Explore the great cities of Central Europe, enjoying a private evening cruise on the Danube through Budapest, a Chef’s Table experience in Bratislava, a tour of Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace and a visit to the Jewish Quarter in Prague.
Highlights
- Discover the three most radiant cities in Central Europe, experiencing their architectural, artistic and cultural heritage firsthand, alongside the finest local experts
- Privately visit Budapest’s State Opera House, as well as the library of the Strahov Monastery in Prague
- Enjoy a private evening cruise on the Danube
- Stop at the lively Central Market Hall in Budapest on an engaging market visit and enjoy a tasting experience
- Share lunch with a local chef, who offers insights into seasonal dishes, on a Chef’s Table culinary experience
Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive Budapest, Hungary
Arrive in Budapest, a city occupying both sides of the Danube River and founded in 1873, when right-bank Buda and Óbuda joined left-bank Pest. Budapest’s broad avenues and turn-of-the-century architecture have earned it the name, “the Paris of Eastern Europe.” Like Paris, it is a cultural mecca for writers, artists and musicians. Transfer to your hotel, where you join your A&K Resident Tour Director and fellow guests for a welcome dinner.
Meals Included: Dinner
Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest
Day 2
Budapest | Matthias Church & Fisherman’s Bastion
This morning, cross the Danube River to explore the Buda side of the city. Visit Matthias Church, the 13th-century coronation cathedral of Hungarian kings, and Fisherman’s Bastion, offering spectacular views of the city. Built in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque styles, the bastion is named for the guild of fishermen who defended this part of the city during the Middle Ages. Then, meet a Buda resident for lunch in the gardens of her villa — an experience specially planned for A&K guests. Enjoy your afternoon at leisure, relaxing in your luxurious accommodations or exploring this romantic city on your own, perhaps dining at one of Budapest’s fine restaurants. Choose one on your own or ask your Resident Tour Director for a list of recommendations by A&K.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest
Day 3
Budapest | Across the Bridge in Pest
Today, explore Pest, starting with a private visit to the beautiful, neo-Renaissance Hungarian State Opera House, which was commissioned by Emperor Franz Joseph and opened in 1884. Continue your city tour as you view Heroes’ Square and stop to see the Great Synagogue as well as St. Stephen’s Basilica, whose south tower houses the largest bell in Hungary. Then, visit the Central Market Hall, to view the vast array of food and crafts on sale throughout its three floors, including cheeses, sausage and other local specialties, and enjoy time at leisure for lunch on your own. Later, visit the Parliament Building before spending the remainder of your afternoon at leisure. This evening, after dinner, embark on a private cruise of the romantic Danube, to watch the glittering lights of Budapest drift by in the night.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest
Day 4
Bratislava, Slovakia & Vienna, Austria | Chef’s Table
Journey overland to Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, for a guided walking tour of its old town, once a jewel of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Stop at a local restaurant, where you enjoy a Chef’s Table experience, having lunch with its esteemed chef, who shares insights into seasonal dishes and his life as a restaurateur. Embark on a high-speed catamaran for a quick cruise along the Danube River to Vienna, Austria.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel Sacher Wien
Day 5
Vienna | Austrian Treasures
Join your local guide for a walking tour of marvellous Vienna. At the Hofburg Palace — former seat of emperors and current residence of the president of Austria — visit the Treasury to admire its glittering collection of imperial regalia. Then, continue to the Gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Spend your afternoon at leisure. Dine at a local restaurant before attending a concert at the Mozarthaus Vienna, set in the historic house where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived in the late 18th century.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel Sacher Wien
Day 6
Vienna | Visions of the Imperial City
This morning, enjoy a panoramic tour of Vienna, viewing the Prater and its Giant Ferris Wheel. See the Secession Building and the famous Hundertwasser House, and then visit the Belvedere Gallery, where you find many works by the brilliant and controversial symbolist artist Gustav Klimt, including The Kiss. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, and then tour Schönbrunn Palace, the former residence of Habsburg monarchs. Spend your evening at leisure.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel Sacher Wien
Day 7
Popice, Czech Republic | Wines of a Unique Terroir
Travel to Prague, stopping en route at the Sonberk winery in the Czech countryside for a tour and tasting of its signature vintages, followed by lunch. Continue to Prague, where you check into your hotel, and then enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Mandarin Oriental, Prague
Day 8
Prague | History Remembered
Today, tour the city’s Castle District, starting with a private visit to the Baroque library halls of the Strahov Monastery, to view its incredible frescoes, which reside amid detailed stucco ceiling decorations. Stroll in the peaceful quiet, looking up at the mural devoted to the intellectual progress of mankind, and let yourself contemplate a bygone era. Then, admire the religious artefacts at the Loreto Chapel, a remarkable Baroque monument that remains a place of pilgrimage. Also, view the towering, Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral, which houses the tombs of Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors, including that of Wenceslas I, Duke of Bohemia — legendary subject of the beloved Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslas.” Cross the famous Charles Bridge, an iconic landmark of Prague completed in 1402, to embark on a walking tour of Josefov, the city’s Jewish Quarter, which remained a walled ghetto until 1848. View the birthplace of Franz Kafka (part of the State Jewish Museum complex), best known for his existentialist novel The Metamorphosis. Proceed to visit the Old Jewish Cemetery, site of 12,000 graves, and the Old-New Synagogue, Europe’s oldest active synagogue, completed in 1270. Afterward, enjoy your evening at leisure.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Mandarin Oriental, Prague
Day 9
Prague | Design Your Day
This morning, enjoy one of these Design Your Day activities:
- Visit Tripartit Gallery for a Glass Painting Workshop, and then explore the collections at the National Gallery.
- Set Out on a Foodie Walking Tour, savouring tastes of Czech cuisine, from pastries to goulash to beer.
- Relax with a Spa Experience at your hotel, in a haven for the body and spirit, choosing from an array of treatments.
- Spend your afternoon at leisure.
Tonight, gather for a celebratory farewell dinner at a nearby local restaurant.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Accommodation: Mandarin Oriental, Prague
Day 10
Depart Prague
Transfer to the airport to board your flight home or begin your post-tour extension.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Journey Details
- Minimum age is 10 years.
- First group event: welcome briefing at 6:30 p.m. on Day 1.
- Last group event: farewell dinner at 7:30 p.m. on Day 9.
- Departures are guaranteed to operate with a minimum of 2 guests.
Departures & Rates
Ask one of our Travel Specialists about Packaging Flights with your Tour and Save
*Rates are person based on twin share. Single Supplements apply, for more information please speak to one of our Travel Specialists.
*Rates are subject to availability and seasonality and may change without notice. Rates are based on two adults sharing. For solo travellers or single person occupancy rates or further information on terms and conditions, please contact our Travel Specialists at time of booking.
Accommodation
Four Seasons Gresham Palace, Budapest
A glittering jewel on the banks of the Danube, Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace is one of Europe’s finest art nouveau buildings. Original features have been lovingly restored, re-inventing this architectural wonder as a vintage hotel with a modern twist – with sweeping staircases, stained glass, mosaics and soaring vaulted ceilings combining effortlessly with ultra-modern touches.
The Gresham Palace’s 179 rooms, including 17 suites, reflect the grandeur and beauty of the art nouveau period and offer sensational views – taking in intimate interior courtyards, the sparkling Danube and Chain Bridge, the Royal Castle and the Buda Hills beyond. From the elegant Premier Rooms with marble bathrooms and immaculate styling to the gloriously decadent Royal Suite, reserved for VIPs, the hotel’s rooms are flawlessly luxurious.
The Four Seasons offers an ideal base from which to explore a plethora of theatres, galleries and historic buildings – including the impressive Heroes’ Square, where the Archangel Gabriel gazes down upon the Museum of Fine arts and the Kunsthalle from atop the towering Millennium Monument.
Hotel Sacher, Wien
The world-famous Hotel Sacher is as much part of Vienna as the State Opera, the Ferries Wheel, the Fiaker and the Lipizzaner Horses and is ideally located in the very heart of this fabulous city, opposite the State Opera and only five minutes from the ‘Hofburg’ Imperial Palace.
All the bedrooms have been equipped meticulously and are decorated with elaborate antiques and renowned paintings in order to discover the original Viennese art de vivre. The hotel features two gourmet restaurants, the ‘Rote Bar’ and the ‘Grune Bar’, offering original Austrian dishes. The Sacher Spa is located high above the roofs of the Austrian city. This distinctive Spa offers special treatments such as rejuvenating massages or regenerating body rituals.
Mandarin Oriental Prague
Perched on the bank of the Vltava River, Mandarin Oriental Prague is a beautiful historic hotel hidden in the heart of the Czech capital. Located on one of the city’s prettiest streets, Malá Strana, it is within walking distance of many of the main attractions, including the Old Town Square and Prague Castle. Having been built on the site of a former 14th century monastery, the Mandarin Oriental’s interiors have spared the original period features and complemented them with contemporary design pieces. 79 rooms are spread across the Baroque, Renaissance and Spa Wing with each enjoying its own individual design as well as added luxury features such as goose down bedding, heated towel rails and interactive entertainment systems. Of the 20 elegant suites, our favourite has to be the Ludwig Moser Crystal Suite;located in the Baroque wing, it features crystal accessories and decorations designed by Moser – the Czech Republic’s premier crystal manufacturer – as well as tall ceilings, a spacious living room, stone-clad bathroom and one of the largest grand corner bedrooms in the hotel. Views from both rooms and suites can overlook the castle, monastery gardens or city.
In the sophisticated setting of Spices Restaurant and Bar, you can enjoy a taste of the east with dishes such as Malaysian Jackfruit curry, Shumai steamed dumplings and freshwater catfish glazed in ginger. Alternatively, the lounge and terrace is perfect for light lunches, classic cocktails and al fresco dining. Spread over two floors, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Prague offers three treatment rooms, spa suite with vitality pool, relaxing tea lounge and fitness centre with two saunas.
